The Articles of Confederation was our first Constitution. This document addressed and hoped to fix potential problems that the U.S., as a new country, might encounter.

Bnefore the Revolution, colonists were prohibited from migrating westward by the Proclamation Act. After the war, we were free from British rule. The Indians had fought for the British in the Revolution, but had hoped to make peace with the colonists. However, the colonists did not want this. They took the advantage of weakened Indians as a chance for westward expansion. The articles of Confederation basically annulled the Proclamation Act.

Also before the war, colonists had been heavily taxed. With taxes on everything from paper, to the tea they drank everyday, the colonists rebelled, which eventually led to war. With the Articles of Confederation in place, colonists could regulate their own taxes. After war, a country usually goes into a recession. To avoid this, the colonists printed their own paper money. Paper money was introduced because after the war there was not enough gold and silver. With the issuing of this money, however, inflation occurred and prices sharply rose. With the Articles of Confederation in place, it was up to America to fix this problem on their own.

The Articles of Confederation were not officially ratified until 1881. They had both negative and positive aspects. However, because of them, the U.S. could function on its own without British interference, and we finally became our own country.